Infix

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ɪnˈfɪks/

Definitions

1. A linguistic element inserted within or between parts of another element, or a mathematical operator placed between its operands
2. A part added inside another word to create a new form or meaning ; a symbol that sits between numbers or expressions to perform a mathematical or logical calculation
3. An element embedded within a larger word to modify its sense or function ; an operator located between two values used in calculations or programming

Etymology: Latin "infigere" meant "to fasten in" or "to thrust into," built from "in-" ("into") and "figere" ("to fix, fasten"). Its past participle "infixus" gave English the adjective "infixed," meaning "stuck in," and the noun "infix" came later as a back-formation: English speakers took the familiar-looking "infixed" and, reasoning backwards, cut off the ending to produce a new base word. The verb "to infix," meaning to fix something inside another thing, followed the same route. The grammar-school idea of an infix, a unit inserted into the middle of a root rather than attached at its start or end, is a modern technical sense built on that literal picture of something fastened within. Linguists use the term for affixes that appear inside a word, and the same notion of an insertion between two elements underlies its use in programming for an operator placed between two values, as in "3 + 4."